Should you go gluten-free even if you don’t have celiac disease?

By: Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D. | Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Going gluten-free might not be as commonplace as going peanut-free—but you wouldn’t know it when you’re walking the
grocery-store aisles. Gluten-free products are everywhere—and I’m sure that’s partly because these days ditching gluten
appeals to more than just people with celiac disease.

The GI symptoms of “gluten sensitivity” (a.k.a. “gluten intolerance”) and celiac disease can be similar but, according to
new, preliminary research published in the journal BMC Medicine, the immune system’s response is quite different.

With celiac disease, the immune system essentially targets the small intestine, flattening the tiny fingerlike projections,
called villi, that line the gut and absorb nutrients from food, which can lead to malnutrition and weight loss.

With gluten sensitivity, the immune system responds in a more urgent, nonspecific way—which is why people with gluten
sensitivity have also reported having a “foggy mind,” depression, ADHD-like behavior, skin rash, anemia, joint pain and
numbness in arms, fingers or legs. “Think of [the immune response of gluten sensitivity] as a SWAT team that responds
immediately to any perceived threat and [that of celiac as] the investigative team that comes later with a long-term
response,” says Alessio Fasano, M.D., study author and director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.

If you think you have a gluten sensitivity, speak with your doctor before eliminating gluten from your diet. A gluten-free
diet is the only treatment recommended, but you should get tests for celiac and other forms of intestinal inflammation before
changing your diet.